The International Armenian Literary Alliance will host “The Business of Writing,” a free and virtual panel discussion with literary agents and editors Arevik Ashkharoyan, Aram Mrjoian and Patricia Mulcahy. The event will take place on Zoom on November 23 at 9 a.m. Pacific | 12:00 p.m. Eastern | 9:00 p.m. Armenia Time.
Ashkharoyan will discuss the process of submitting, accepting and rejecting work as well as speculate about publishing trends. Mrjoian and Mulcahy will explain what authors should consider before submitting work to a publisher, the most common mistakes authors make when pitching or submitting their work, and how they approach the craft of editing. The overall purpose of this panel is to provide insight about publication success from the perspective of experienced agents and editors.
The panel discussion, to be moderated by IALA board member J.P. Der Boghossian, will be followed by a brief Q&A session to offer Armenian writers an opportunity to ask questions to the panelists. A recording of the event will later be available on IALA’s YouTube channel. Register for the event online.
Arevik Ashkharoyan is a literary agent with 10 years of experience in publishing. In 2016, she established ARI Literary and Talent Agency, representing a dozen writers of Armenian origin from all over the world. In 2018, she founded the non-profit arm of the organization, the ARI Literature Foundation, to implement projects aimed at the development of the local book market, promotion of reading and writing in Armenia and enhancing international dialogue. Projects run by the ARI Foundation include Write in Armenia International Writing Camp, Zabel International Women Writers Forum, and Let’s Read! (ARI Kardanq) book clubs.
Aram Mrjoian is the editor-in-chief of The Rumpus, managing editor of Michigan Quarterly Review, and a 2022 Creative Armenia-AGBU Fellow. He is also the editor of the anthology “We Are All Armenian: Voices from the Diaspora.” His debut novel, “Waterline,” will be published by HarperVia in June 2025.
Patricia Mulcahy formed the editorial consulting service Brooklyn Books after over twenty years in book publishing. She started as a temp at Farrar Straus and Giroux and left as Editor in Chief at Doubleday. Her authors included bestselling crime writers James Lee Burke and Michael Connelly. As a freelancer, she worked with musician and impresario Quincy Jones; former White House advisor Karen Hughes; television journalist Andrea Mitchell; and Acumen Fund CEO Jacqueline Novogratz. She is the co-author of “It Is Well with My Soul: The Extraordinary Life of a 106-Year –Old Woman,” by Ella Mae Cheeks Johnson (Penguin, 2010) and “Making Masterpiece: 25 Years Behind the Scenes at Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery! on PBS” by Rebecca Eaton (Viking 2013). A graduate of Wesleyan University, she lives in Jackson Heights, Queens.
J.P. Der Boghossian is the founder of the Queer Armenian Library – the world’s first library devoted to literature, film, and television by, about, and for Queer Armenians. He hosts the podcast This Queer Book Saved My Life which is a 2024 GLAAD Media Award nominee for Outstanding Podcast. He is a Lambda Literary Fellow and his essays have appeared in “We Are All Armenian” (University of Texas Press), “The Sun Isn’t Out Long Enough” (Anamot Press), and “Emerge” (Lambda Literary). He additionally hosts The Gaily Show for AM950-KTNF in Minneapolis. He holds a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Minnesota. He resides with his partners, splitting their time between Minneapolis, MN and Barronett, WI.
The International Armenian Literary Alliance is a nonprofit organization launched in 2021 that supports and celebrates writers by fostering the development and distribution of Armenian literature in the English language. A network of Armenian writers and their champions, IALA gives Armenian writers a voice in the literary world through creative, professional, and scholarly advocacy. Learn more by visiting the website.
